The Life of a Young Shinobi
by sasuke fanatic1
Summary: A Sound ninja at the age of nine begins to unravel his parents' pasts.His name is Uchiha Seiko.Maybe he was wrong about his father after all. SasuSaku through their son's P.O.V.
1. Maybe

**The Life of a Young Shinobi**

I walk down the streets of the godforsaken village of which I was born. Today was my Chuunin Test, which I had passed with ease. I had my headband across my forehead, allowing a few strands of my raven hair hang loose. At nine, I am the youngest to become a Chuunin in my class. I now headed home alongside my brother and sister. My brother is seven and is now a Genin of last week, while my sister, at five, has just started school. I again gaze at the onlookers. How I hate this village and all there is in it. It makes my stomach clench. There is something not right about it. Or someone who dwells in it. All I ever hear is about this 'superior' or 'Master' and I honestly believe it's all shit. I've never seen such a being, but I know he is real. My father works for him. My father. Another thing that makes me feel nauseous. He isn't around much, but when he is Kaa-san acts…different. She seems a bit happier, if you can even call it happiness, but she tries to pull off the act. Kaasan doesn't like being here. But she stays nonetheless. I think that's Tousan's fault. There is something about him that irks me. His eyes, the same dark color as my brothers' and mine, seem to be void of life. Whenever he looks at me with those eyes my spine shivers. My mother's eyes, on the other hand, seem to flicker with emotion whenever she looks at Tousan or us.

"Seiko?"

At the sound of my name I look down upon my younger sister. "Yes, Sakuke?" I respond.

"Someday, do you think I can be a great ninja like you?" she asks, her emerald eyes aglow.

My lips move upward on one side, like a half-smile. I ruffle my sister's pink locks. "Of course you can, if you put your mind to it," I respond out loud, but on the inside I never want my sister to be like me. Sakuke beams up at me.

We continue our walk home in silence. When I open the door, my even younger siblings run up as fast as their chubby legs could. When they come up, they hug my legs.

"Why hello to you too, Sachi and Soshi," I state looking down upon them. Sachi, the boy of the two, has our Tousan's hair and our mother's bright eyes. Soshi, on the other hand, has our mother's bright pink hair and our Tousan's dark eyes. They are toddlers at only three.

My siblings and I then head into the kitchen, where our Kaasan was. She is cooking our dinner, I can tell by the aroma. She stirs with one hand, while she cradles the youngest out of us all. My baby brother, Susoko, who is one years of age is apparently throwing a fit and Kaasan has her hands full trying to calm him down and cooking our dinner. I step over to her and hold out my arms.

Kaasan smiles, grateful. "Thanks, Seiko-kun," she tells me handing Susoko over to me.

I nod and guide the other children to the living room. While the other children chatter, my gaze stays on my mother. She is still young, only twenty-six. Her pink hair is kept up in a tight bun. Many would call her pretty. She is worn, though, from having the six of us. The thing I also find strange, was the fact Kaasan does not wear a Sound headband. Tousan does, yet she doesn't. I always do want to know, but I feel I need not pry.

"Nii-san, hows dids you tesfs go?" Sachi asks, his lack of proper grammar amusing.

"Yes, Seiko-kun, how did it go? Did you pass?" I hear Kaasan question from the kitchen.

I nodded. "Yeah," I reply.

"That's good to hear," Mother states.

I feel it isn't. In a few years, I may become Jounin, and that was something I don't want to happen. Jounin go on missions more frequently, and I do not wish to leave my siblings and mom alone. My Tousan is the one to abandon us, barely being home twice a year as far as I know, and if even that just for the night. It makes me hate him, how he can just waltz in here and expect us to act normal. Expect us to act as if he's our father. Well, he wouldn't be receiving that from me. Ever.

As I lay in my bed that night I found I could not sleep. I look over to the other side of the room, where Samaki, the recent Genin, sleep. Then, I hear the door open. It was quiet, and if not for my trained nin ears I wouldn't have heard it. But I had, so I left to check who or what was here. I open my bedroom door quietly, for I need not have woken my brother from his slumber, and slip out. I peek out to look into the living room. I want to scowl. It's _him._ The one of whom I am suppose to call 'Tousan.' Kaasan is there as well; she is sleeping soundlessly on the couch. She always sleeps on the couch when Tousan was not around, as if she is waiting for him to come home. My father walks to my mother's side and kneels before her. My eyes widen when he gently caresses her cheek. Since when was Tousan 'gentle.'

"Sakura," I hear Tousan mutter my Kaasan's name as he continues to stroke her cheek, lovingly. "You've been crying again," when he says this I too notice the dry tear marks on her face, then my father continues with, "You know I hate it when you cry." As these words leave my father's lips I wonder who this guy is. I had never seen this side of him before, even if I had only seen him a small amount of times I figured he did not have a soft side.

Maybe, just maybe, I've been wrong about this person who sired me. Maybe.

_Phew, the prologue is done! There is much more from where this came from, but first I have to know what you think of it! So review me! Oh yeah, don't worry, I'm still working on my drabbles._

_Until the next chapter,_

_This has been _

_sasuke fanatic1_


	2. Mission

I still stare in wonder at the scene before me. My father lets out the same half-smile I possess when my Kaasan's eyes flutter open, dreamily. She can all but gasp when she sees her husband before her.

A beautiful, rare smile spreads across her lips. She outstretches her hand, grazing it over Tousan's face as if to make sure he was not an illusion. Sure he was really there before her, Kaasan hugged Tousan tightly, still upon the couch. "Sasuke-kun, you're home," she mumbles.

Another half-smile from my father as he says. "Aa. But only for a short time I'm afraid," he reports.

This shocks me. He _wants_ to be here. Had I heard right? Was this actually coming from my Tousan? The same man who had not attended any of my siblings' births? I have to be hearing wrong.

My mother again starts to cry and my heart builds with anger. Why does he always make her cry?

"Shh," Tousan soothes and his hand leaves her cheek to stroke her back. "Don't cry." I rub my eyes and when I reopen him, the scene before me has changed, but its still an unusual deal. Now, both of my parents are kneeling on the living room floor, and they're hugging. _Both_ of them. They clutch to each other, as if someone is threatening to tear them apart. But then a thought strikes me. What if someone _was_ threatening that? What if?

When their lips began to near each other is when I decide to leave. I didn't want them to discover me. I head to my bedroom and get back under the covers.

After around an hour, I hear my bedroom door open. I close my eyes tightly and even my breathing. I feel a new weight on the side of my bed and a hand go onto my head, ruffling my hair lightly.

"Ah, Seiko, you have grown," my Tousan says, "you are developing into a fine young man. I wish I could be here to see it, but for now, you're going to be the strong one in the household for I am unable. I know I don't deserve the title of 'father' or even 'husband' for that matter. I don't even deserve to be called a ninja. I pray that you will grow up to be a better man than I can ever be," he continues.

I'm touched. My Tousan does care for us. All of us. He just can't be around as much as he hopes. I have misjudged him.

The weight upon my bed is gone, and I know he has moved to my brother's bed. But all I can think about is the fact that he cares. He really does.

The next thing I know I open my eyes to find it the next morning. I stifle a yawn. I sit up quickly and get dressed. I take a glance at the clock. 6:30. I hope Tousan is still around. I leave the room and walk down the hall and into the kitchen. The aroma of pancakes and bacon fill my nose. Well, at least I know Kaasan is awake. I stumble into the kitchen and frown. Tousan is nowhere in sight. Kaasan notices me and smiles. "Seiko-kun, what are you doing up at this hour?" she asks me.

I shrug in response. "Couldn't get back to sleep."

Kaasan, satisfied with the answer, turns back to her cooking.

"Need any help?" I ask.

Kaasan turns back to me. "Thanks for offering, but I can handle it," after this is said there is a loud wail, coming from my one-year-old brother in his room.

"You sure you don't need any help?" I ask again.

Kaasan smiles. "Could you make sure nothing burns while I see what is wrong with your brother?" she asks and I nod eagerly in response and walk to the kitchen as she heads down the hall.

Then, a feeling that someone is watching me weighs upon me. I look out the window of the kitchen and catch a glimpse of a face. An unfamiliar face. I shake it off. Maybe I am seeing things; I have been on edge for awhile.

I went to the meeting place of my team an hour later. Well, it is going to be our last team meeting. Since we are now Chuunin, we will no longer need to be on a team.

"Today we have your first Chuunin mission," says Tayuya-sensei. (Do you guys remember her?)

"What is it Tayuya-sensei," one of my teammates, Satoni asks. He is thirteen.

"You all have a very important job. Now, I want you to take this seriously," Tayuya-sensei starts, "you are going to play an important part of the Master's plan."

My teammates' eyes light up but I still do not know of whom they speak of so I daringly ask, "Tayuya-sensei who is this 'Master'?"

My question seems to startle her. "You do not know? How can you not know?" she questions then she lets out a sigh, "your father has not mentioned anything to you, has he?"

I shake my head. What has Tousan not told me?

"Orochimaru-sama is our master. Learn it and remember it, kid," Tayuya-sensei replies.

I nod quickly. Orochimaru, huh? I should be able to remember that.

"Now, as I was saying. The three of you are going to go to the village of Konoha and stall them while we elites take them down, do you understand?" Tayuya-sensei questions.

My two teammates nod but I think for a moment. Konoha? Where is that?

"Uchiha," I snap my attention to my sensei, "are you in or not?"

I nod, hesitant. "Sensei, how long will we be gone?"

Sensei thinks for a moment before responding, "It could be awhile. Now, we'll meet here tomorrow morning at 5 sharp, understand?" Tayuya-sensei asks.

"Yes, sensei," we all reply in unison.

I sulk home that evening. Kaasan greets me when I come into the house. "Something wrong, Seiko-kun?" she asks with that worried tone.

"Kaasan, I have a mission tomorrow," I tell her. Her face looks crushed.

"Oh, what is it?" she asks and I don't want to tell her the truth.

So, I respond with, "Nothing special. Just going to go on a mission for some scroll." I hope she bought my lie.

"How long will you be gone?" Kaasan questions.

"Tayuya-sensei says it could be awhile," at least that isn't a lie.

Kaasan's face is shadowed with emotion. "I see."

She has bought my lie and now I feel more hollow than ever. I really don't want to go on that mission tomorrow but something tells me I don't have a choice.

_Wee, chapter two is done. _

**Next Time: Seiko goes to this Konoha village and is in for a surprise!**

_Review, please!_

_sasuke fanatic1_


	3. The Village of Konoha?

**nArdAnG p00tek: Glad you liked it! Thanks for the review!**

**David: Weee you thought it was a 'step above all other future fics'! Yeah! **

**kawaii dolphin girl: Gomen, but for now there in Sound. Hope you read it anyway!**

**soymilkisgross: Here's an update! Happy to hear you like it!**

**And without further ado...

* * *

**

**The Life of a Young Shinobi**

I now pack my bag for the long trip ahead of me. Seeing as how my siblings are sleeping I only say goodbye to Kaasan who tells me to be careful and I gladly oblige. After meeting with my team we leave the gates of Sound and into the unknown. The trip is a silent one, not that I expect anything else. I don't know how long we have been traveling, it has to be about four days, when a kunai is thrown into the tree I have been standing on. We all turn to look at the culprit. I can not see his face for there is an animal mask on his face.

"ANBU," Tayuya-sensei hisses.

ANBU? What is that?

Three more of these 'ANBU' appear. Who are these people? My teammates and sensei attack them. Before I know it, they head deep into the forest after them. I blink. Should I follow them? Of course. But before I can get anywhere I notice one of the masked men are still there, staring at me. I grab a kunai from my pack and chuck it at the man. He easily dodges.

"Katon Ryuuka no Jutsu," I say doing the hand seals for the fire attack.

Again my opponent dodges. Why has he not attacked back?

"Goukakyuu no Jutsu," I attack again. 

This time when my opponent dodges, his mask falls off.

As his feet hit the ground I see that he has black hair pulled back into a ponytail.

He looks at me, raising an eyebrow.

"Kage Shibari no Jutsu," The man says and all of a sudden a shadow emerges from his feet to me and I feel I am unable to move.

The man then talks into the microphone in his ear.

I struggle in the bind of which I am kept. Another masked man appeared. He slowly walks up to me. I keep struggling in the binding but I find I still cannot move. The man comes up and pushes a point in my neck and all goes black.

"Shikamaru, why did you bring a kid here? A _Sound_ nin," I hear a female voice say.

"Because he is _his_ I tell you. He looks exactly like him," I hear another voice say, this time one of a male.

"But how can you be sure?" another male voice asked.

I decide to keep my eyes shut, thinking I can learn more about these people if I do.

"He uses his attacks," the first male's voice argued.

"That still doesn't mean anything," another female's voice remarked.

"I'll decide upon this," another male's voice said, this one louder.

My eyes are forced open. I look upon a face. He has blue eyes and blonde hair. There are also marks upon his cheeks.

"Naruto-kun," a new feminine voice says.

I jump up onto my feet, facing the enemy. I grab a kunai.

"Now, no need for weapons," says a blonde woman.

"Who are you people?" I ask.

"We should be asking you the same thing," says the man who had bond me before.

I glare at him.

"You are right, Shikamaru, there is a strong resemblance," says a man with long black hair and eyes with no pupils.

"What's your name, kiddo?" asks a man with gray hair and one of his eyes covered with his headband.

I glare at him. "None of your business."

"Certainly acts like Sasuke-teme," the blonde man comments and my blood runs cold. How does this man know my father's name? I have to get out of here. I make a dash for it, but a man whose collar covers his mouth stops me.

"I don't think so," he tells me and I'm picked up by bugs? He drags me back into the middle of the room. He plops me onto the ground. I stand back up and look around me. There are at least fifteen people surrounding me. There are a few children too. Every single one of them are staring at me and my blood boils. "What do you want from me?"

A man with a weird haircut and fuzzy eyebrows asks me, "How old are you?"

Again I snap, "None of your business."

"I never thought Sound would send little ninjas. They must be running out of the decent ones," states the blonde one.

"I'm a Chuunin," I correct him.

He raises an eyebrow. "But you can't be more than six," he says.

Oh how I hate this guy. "I'm nine!" I shout.

"What's your name?" asked a small boy. He seems to be the blonde man's son, for he has the same blonde hair and annoying tone.

I sigh. I need to get out of here. I look at the adults. "If I tell you my name, will you let me go?"

"Depends," replies another woman who has dark blonde hair.

I remain silent for awhile.

"So, if your Sasuke-teme's son, I wonder if you're a teme too," states the blonde man.

I keep quiet.

"Are you going to tell us your name or not?" the ponytail man asked.

"My name…. is…" I am interrupted.

There is a bang from outside.

"We're under attack!" screams a man running in.

"Kuso," mutters the blonde man and the adults leave the room, forgetting I am here. Now is my chance. I sneak out the window and run. I run from it all. I keep running. Who were those people? How do they know my Tousan?

I run for three days until I see the Sound village yards away. As I see my house come into view, I sigh in relief. I steady my breath, and walk in.

"Nii-san!" screams my younger siblings running to greet me.

Kaasan walks over to me as well and hugs me tight. "I was so worried Seiko-kun, how did it go?" she asks.

"Okay," I reply then a thought strikes me. Had Tayuya-sensei and the others made it back? I shake the thought away from my mind. "So, when's dinner? I'm starving."

_Ooo, now Seiko has had an encounter with the others, what else could happen? Who knows? Wait, I do! Until next time. Review me!_

_sasuke fanatic1_


	4. Caught again

**kawaii dolphin girl:Here's an update for ya! Hope that perverted guy isn't buggin ya anymore!**

**Innocent Hope: Glad you think it's great!** **That makes me feel good!**

**anon: Twee, you made me happy when you said it's such a good story! Thanks!**

**luvKaWaIi: All will be explained in time; but yes Sakura is still a ninja, only a missing nin.**

**Lady Emerald Star: Excellent? Awesome! Glad you think so!**

**Sakura-Girl 2005: Makes me happy knowing you love it! Here's another chapter for you!**

**Now on with the story...

* * *

The Life of a Young Shinobi**

Kaasan giggled and stood up. "It's almost ready. Why don't you go wash up?" she suggests. I nod and run to take a shower.

After getting into fresh clothes I head down the hall. I am so relieved to be home. After we have dinner, I watch my brothers and sisters play. Kaasan is busy washing the dishes. My youngest brother comes crawling to me.

"Hey, Susoko," I say picking him up.

He gurgles.

I shake my head and set him back down. He grabs onto my knees and starts wobbling to stand up. I blink. What's he trying to pull? He stands and wobbles away. I half-smile.

"Kaasan, look," I say and Kaasan turns her gaze towards us and gasps at the sight of her youngest walking. She runs over to the small boy and kneels a few yards in front of him.

"Come here, Susoko," she says.

My Otouto stumbles over to our mother.

Kaasan hugs him tight. "You did it, Susoko. You can walk! I so have to go write this in your baby book!" Kaasan exclaims getting up and running into her room with Susoko still in her arms. I shake my head. Kaasan can be so childish sometimes.

Then my mind drifts to what happened a few days ago. Who are those people? How do they know my parents? This is when I decide to head back to this Konoha village.

The next day I tell my mother I have another mission and after some persuasion she believes me, with a sad look on her face. And so, I head out. I am not sure of the exact location of the village since I was unconscious when I was taken there. After three days of venturing, I run into a village. It looks like the one so I go inside of it. The first thing I run into is the playground. I personally don't like playing on swings and such but it wasn't that that catches my eye. It is the children there. They are the ones that I had seen before, including the loud one. I walk up to them. They are in a circle and it appears they are playing the game called 'duck, duck, goose.' Spotting me, the loud blonde stands up and points at me.

"You're the boy from before," he exclaims.

"And what if I am?" I reply back.

The girl stands up. "Why did you run off before?" she asks.

"None of your business," I snap.

The one with white eyes then stands. "You know what, you aren't very nice," he states.

"And I'd care why?" I question. This was a mistake to talk to these children, they aren't probably even six yet.

"My dad says you look just like his old teammate," the blonde boy states.

"Why should I care what your dad thinks?" I ask.

He crosses his arms. "For your information, my dad is the Hokage, you should respect him and me too. For I'm going to be the seventh Hokage," the boy states.

"Hino, keep dreaming," the girl says.

"It's true Hika," Hino then says.

"Both of you shut up," the other boy demands.

"You shut up, Teji!" screams both of the other kids.

"Urusei!" I command, hearing enough of their bickering.

"You can't boss me around," Hino says.

"Kids, what's going on here?"

I freeze and face a woman I had seen before. She's the blonde woman from before.

"Mama, this boy is bothering us," Hika states pointing at me.

The woman looks at me. "You!" she exclaims.

"Hn?" I question. Why is this woman screaming?

The woman's face turns pale. And then she looks at her daughter and nods her head, as if she is signaling for something. I find out what when Hika does hand seals and says, "Kage Shibari no Jutsu."

"Kuso," I curse when I am frozen yet again.

This was definitely the worst mistake I have ever made. Again, someone hits my vital point and again darkness welcomes me.

When I wake up this time, I find that I am tied to a chair with Chakra controlled chains. The room in which I am confined is black and the only light is a circle around me.

"So, who are you kid," a voice asks.

The blonde man appears in front of my face.

The lights snap on and the pony-tailed man comes into view. "Naruto, stop acting so childish," he states in a bored tone.

More people walk in, all of the same ones from my last visit.

"Let's get this over with," says the man with white eyes, Teji standing beside him.

"So, what are you going to do with me?" I ask, not the least bit scared.

The obnoxious man looks at me. "What is your name?" he repeats.

"None of your business," I reply.

This time it's the man with the covered eye that says, "Just answer the question."

"I'm not answering," I tell him.

"Just answer the damned question!" says the brunette woman.

"I don't have to tell you anything," I respond.

"What is Sound trying to pull? They haven't even thought of attacking Konoha since Orochimaru died," the blonde man states. What had they called him? Naruto?

My ears perk up. Did he just say Orochimaru? Wasn't that this so-called 'master'? He is dead?

"You let go of my niisan, you big meanys," comes a voice that jumps onto Naruto's back. Wait, I know that voice!

_Ooo, so who has come to Seiko's rescue I wonder! Find out next time!_

_sasuke fanatic1_


	5. The faces of Konoha

**The Life of a Young Shinobi**

It can't be! But my suspicion is confirmed when I see pink on Naruto's back.

"Get it off me!" Naruto screams as my sister pulls his hair. Sakuke always has been the rambunctious one. Sakuke is pried off of Naruto's back by the pony-tailed man, her legs still kicking. "Let go! Let go!" she shouts.

"Grr…how troublesome," the pony-tailed man says.

"Who're you, little girl?" the blonde woman asks.

"It's Sakuke to you!" Sakuke shouts at her.

"Sakuke? Now, doesn't that sound familiar?" the gray-haired man asks, looking at me with his one eye that could be seen.

"See, she has to be Sasuke-teme's," Naruto exclaims.

Sakuke blinks. "How do you know my papa?" she questions.

I curse. She's blown it!

Everyone looks at each other.

"So our suspicions were right. Uchiha has started to revive his clan, and by the looks of the girl it seems he's started it with Sakura," says the white-eyed man.

"You know my mama too?" Sakuke questions.

"I was your mom's best friends for a long time. The name's Ino," the blonde woman states.

"Imouto, how did you get here anyway?" I ask, irritated.

Sakuke grins sheepishly. "I followed you silly," she replies.

"Why did you come?" I ask.

"Because it's boring at home," Sakuke responds.

"So, what's your name? This is the last time I'm going to ask peacefully," Naruto says to me.

I sigh in defeat. "Seiko. Uchiha Seiko," I state.

"So tell me, Seiko, how is your mother?" asks the bushy-eyed man.

"First, I need to know who you all are to her. You still, after all, are the enemy to Sound," I answer.

The man does this awkward pose. "I am the one and only Rock Lee," he states putting up his thumb and his teeth sparkling. "I pursued your mother for a great while, but alas we were just friends," he continues with a sigh.

Then the brunette spoke, "Hyuuga TenTen's the name. I was a good friend of your mother," she states.

Ino then speaks, "As I've said I was your mom's _best_ friend. Nara Ino,"

The white-eyed woman then spoke in her stuttered tone, "I too was a friend of your mother. I'm Uzamaki Hinata."

The bug guy then talks, "The name is Aburame Shino," and that's all he says.

"I am Inuzuka Kiba," says a man with a dog on his shoulder.

A fat man eating chips steps up. "Akimichi Chouji. I knew your mother too," he states.

The pony-tailed man then boringly says, "Nara Shikamaru. I was another friend of your mother."

"I am Tsunade and I actually taught your mother all she knows," the darker blonde woman states.

Then, the man with the one eye, "Hatake Kakashi. I was your mother's sensei," he then says.

Naruto is the last to speak. "I am Uzamaki Naruto, the sixth Hokage and I was on your mother's team when we were Genin."

I raise my eyebrow. "Then, how do you all know my Tousan?" I ask.

They're silent until Naruto decides to speak

"Um…well you see kid, I was also a teammate of your dad. We were rivals…yet best friends. When he was thirteen, he decided to leave the village and work for Orochimaru. He turned his back on this village," he explains.

This stuns me. "He was a trader?" I question.

Naruto nods, his eyes looking at the ground. I should have known.

"So then, how did Kaasan find him?" I question.

"Well your mom, always being crazily in love with Sasuke, went out to look for him when she was sixteen," Ino responds.

"And apparently she found him," Shikamaru adds.

"So how is she these days?" TenTen asks.

I let all the information sink in. Do these people know my mother? It all does make sense. "She's busy taking care of us. She mostly seems depressed though," I report.

Everyone lets out a sad frown.

"How many of there are you anyway?" Kakashi asks.

Tsunade hits his head. "Don't mind him," she remarks.

"I don't mind. Well, including me, there's six of us," I state.

Naruto burst out laughing. "Sasuke-teme really must have gotten busy!" he shouts.

"N-Naruto-kun, stop," Hinata says.

I blink. What is so funny? I let it go. Must be an inside joke or something.

"So are you going to let us go or what?" I ask, wanting to leave.

"Or what," Shikamaru replied.

"Yeah, we're not letting you go that easily," Naruto stated.

"What's going on in here?" comes another voice, a new one.

I turn my head to look at a redheaded man. He has piercing blue-green eyes and the symbol of love on his head. There is also a small girl with her thumb in her mouth. She also had the same red hair and green eyes, only her hair is put in a bunch of ponytails (Temari style).

"Gaara-san? What are you doing here?" Hinata asks.

"I had a meeting with Naruto, but apparently he has forgotten," This Gaara says.

"Oh yeah," Naruto says, scratching his head sheepishly.

"Who's the kid?" Kiba asks.

"I had to take her along, her mother is on a mission," Gaara explains.

"That doesn't say who she is," Neji states.

"Oh, I know, she's your daughter," Naruto implies in a joking tone.

"How'd you guess?" Gaara questions.

Naruto's face dropped. "Seriously? I was just kidding," he says.

"This is something you don't see everyday," Ino adds.

"What's your name?" Hika asks.

The little girl clutched to her dad's leg. "Rasha," she answers quietly.

"Enough of this chitter chatter, who are these two?" Gaara questions referring to my imouto and me.

"You won't believe it! These two are Sasuke-teme's kids! Weird huh?" Naruto exclaims. Gaara raised an eyebrow. "Interesting."

"What do you all want from me?" Sakuke asks, "I want to go home!" She starts to kick again.

"Stop it. How troublesome," Shikamaru mutters.

"You don't know how to take care of little girls," Ino states taking Sakuke, "Want to go play dress up with Hika?"

Sakuke's eyes light up. She nods her head frantically. The females leave after that, along with the other children.

"Now, what to do with him," Naruto says, looking at me.

"We shall question him," Lee states doing another one of those weird poses.

We all sweatdrop.

_Twee, chapter five is finished on a funny note, but from now on, it's going to be mostly angst. Beware! _

_Until next time,_

_sasuke fanatic1_


	6. What he doesn't understand

**The Life of a Young Shinobi**

**Disclaimer: Own nothing but this plot. Oh, and my Naruto cards, soundtrack, shirt, movie, figurines, my lucky Sharingan wristband, Sasuke key chains, Sasuke T-shirt, and my favorite Sasuke plushy! But other than that I'm poor!**

"So, what is Sound planning?" Naruto asks looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

Neji and Shikamaru hit their heads with their hands.

"How the hell should I know?" I question him.

Naruto waved a finger at me. "Tsk, tsk, no need for such language," Naruto says.

I scoff. "Whatever." 

"Honestly, do you know anything?" Lee questions.

I glare at the thick-eyebrow man. "Even if I did I wouldn't tell you," I snap.

"Did your mother not teach you anything about manners?" Kakashi asks.

I turn my deadly gaze to him. "You give me no reason to treat you with respect," I reply.

"Has anyone ever told you that you act just like your father?" Chouji asks, eating chips. What is up with this guy and food?

"A few times," I respond coldly.

"How is he by the way?" Naruto asks.

I think for a moment before answering. "Well, he isn't around much."

"And that would be because…?" Shikamaru questions.

"He's busy with missions," I answer.

"What kind of missions?" Lee asks.

My face turns red in anger. "None of your business!"

"Touchy little thing aren't you?" Shino says in more of a statement than question.

"Feh," I mutter.

Shikamaru clears his throat. "Naruto, what are we going to do with him?" he asks the blonde man.

Naruto scratches his head. "Uh, I don't know. I didn't think that far ahead," he replies.

I sweatdrop. I'm surrounded by idiots.

"Well since I'm Hokage, for now we're just going to…show you around the village. Yeah, that's what we'll do," Naruto decides.

I raise my eyebrow. "Why would you do that?" I ask. Man, this guy really is stupid.

"Because I feel like it," Naruto huffs at me.

"Because he can think of what else to do with you he means," Kiba states chuckling.

"Shut up!" Naruto shouts.

"Hn, whatever," I say to all of this.

"Kid, let's make a deal, if we promise not to hurt you or any of your family, would you tell us all that you know, and I mean _all_ of it?" Shikamaru asks.

I hesitate. Should I betray my village? It's not like I know _much_ of what is going on but I still have an idea. "If you can prove to me that my parents did indeed live here and grow up around you, I'll consider it," I finally manage to muster.

"Good choice," Neji states and I feel the binds tying me to the chair loosen. I sit up.

They lead me outside where I take a good look of the surroundings. It certainly is more peaceful than Sound, I'll give them that. There are kids playing and birds chirping, I'm starting to doubt that my father would ever live in a place like this. But my gut has been wrong a lot recently. I look at the ninjas in front of me. They all are staring at me, but once they see that I'm watching them, they turn away and start whispering amongst themselves.

Kakashi, my parents' old sensei supposedly, walks beside me. I catch him also staring at me and he just closes his eye that is visible. "Why do you wear that mask?" I question, wanting to break the never-ending nerve-wrecking silence.

"It's a secret," Kakashi replies opening his eye.

"Oh, do you ever take it off?" I ask.

Naruto answers for the older man. "No, but your parents and I tried to take it off when we were Genin, but it didn't work," Naruto smiles sadly, "Those were the days. Things seemed like it would always be that way. We always had fun."

I look at my feet. Something about this whole thing doesn't add up. Why would my father ever leave? Maybe he didn't like the calm atmosphere, I don't know.

"Like when we had to save that damned cat, phew, that was one hell of a mission. Dumb cat scratched me though," Naruto reminisces.

"What about when you first came Genin, I thought you guys were never going to cooperate," Kakashi adds to the stories.

Naruto grinned. "We eventually worked together, especially during the Chuunin Exam, in the Death Forest," he states.

Shikamaru frowned. "That was when you had your first encounter of Orochimaru, correct?" he asks, eyeing the blonde man.

Naruto nods. "That was the beginning of the end," he frowns and everyone else does in turn.

That's another thing that puzzles me. What's the deal with this Orochimaru? He's dead, right, so why do we still address him as our leader. I certainly don't know what's going on, but I'm going to get to the bottom of it.

_Gomen, it's really short but I wanted to put something up since I haven't in awhile. So how was it? Oh yeah, do you think I should have a prequel to this? You know, to fill up the missing gaps? Just a suggestion._

_sasuke fanatic1_


	7. Family

**The Life of a Young Shinobi**

I keep walking down the path. So far Naruto and the other Konoha Jounins have showed me various places. The academy and the bridge of which my parents' Genin team used to meet among them. After awhile, Naruto told the others to leave, and now it was just he and I.

I glance at him. "Where are we going now?" I question the blonde.

He looks at me with serious eyes. And here I thought he was just a blubbering idiot. "I'm taking you to your mother's parents' home," he responds.

I raise an eyebrow. "Why would you do that?"

"I feel they have the right to know their daughter is alive and well, don't you?" Naruto questions.

I nod. "Yeah." I've never thought about my parents' families, it's weird frankly. All my life I've never even thought of why I do not have extended family members.

Naruto knocks on the door of a home and the door opens revealing a middle-aged woman with pink hair and the same warm green eyes my mother has. I blink. This must be my grandmother.

"What a lovely surprise, Hokage-sama," the woman proclaims. "What brings you here? Come on in."

Naruto grinned. "Thank you, Haruno-san," he said walking into the home. Blinking, I follow in pursuit. As the woman sits down onto the floor, I take a glance around the room. I spot a picture covered with pink. I squint my eyes to see a picture of my mother when she was younger; I'd say roughly fifteen to sixteen.

Naruto tugs on my shirt, instructing me to sit down. I do so.

I see my mother's mother look at me in suspicion. I blink back at her. Possibly she noticed the resemblance between my father and I. I've been told countless times today that I look _exactly_ like him when he was younger.

The blonde man then clears his throat. "Haruno-san, as you may have suspected, this child," he points at me, "is the Uchiha heir."

I look at the elderly woman for a reaction.

She raises an eyebrow. "Is he…_hers_ too?" she questions, myself knowing directly that she's talking about her daughter, my mother.

Naruto nods. "He's told us himself, along with his sister," he answers.

Tears glimmer in her eyes. My eyes downcast. She must miss my mother, just like mine must miss me right now, and neither of these two concerned mothers knew the real place to find their children. I had lied to mine about coming here, and now with Sakuke missing, she must be frantic. My eyes widen. What if she came after us? I could not measure the length to what my mother would go to find Sakuke and myself. Distracted with my thoughts, I came into the conversation in the middle.

"We are not exact of her whereabouts, but we suspect the Oto village," Naruto states as he stands, "We'll get back to you if we find anymore information."

The woman nods.

"Let's go then. Have a nice day, Haruno-san," he nods at me to follow and I jolt up.

After that, he looks down upon me. "So, what did you think of her? Nice woman, right?" he asks.

I nod.

"Reminds you a lot of your mother?" he questions and again I nod solemnly.

"Naruto-san," I decide he deserves a suffix of some sort.

"Yeah?"

"What happened to my father's side of the family?" I question and the blonde man seems to freeze at this.

"Your father's family? Well, kid," he swallows a lump in his throat as if he's afraid to tell me, "there is none."

I stop and raise an eyebrow. There wasn't any? "What happened to them?" Maybe it was something that caused Tousan to leave the village, maybe this place held memories that pained him in some way.

"Maybe we should talk about this some other time, you know about five to ten years from now sounds good," Naruto states as he keeps walking, in a faster pace than before. I run to catch up to him, still curious.

"Don't you think I deserve to know?" I was going to dig this out of him one way or another.

"Hai, demo," his blue eyes faded, "I believe its something you should discuss with Sasuke, I have no right to tell you."

My eyes flash with frustration. "Demo, I never see Tousan often, and I doubt he'd even tell me. We barely talk to each other at all," I state.

"Is that so?" Naruto questions. "That's odd."

"Why is it odd?" I ask.

"I'd figure, after what happened to his own family, he'd treat his better," Naruto comments.

I feel like I should punch him. "What do you know?" I spat. "You have no right to judge him…even though he's not around much, I know he cares. Otherwise, why would he bother to show up at all?"

Naruto smiles a small grin. "So, he's not a complete failure?"

I shake my head vigorously. "I used to think so, but not anymore," I reply, feeling more pride towards my father than ever.

As we keep walking Naruto asks, "What made you change your mind?"

The answer was simple enough. "Not too long ago, I saw a different side to my father. A gentle side, a compassionate one," I respond.

Naruto grins. "Let me guess, toward Sakura-chan?"

I nod for what seems like the tenth time today. "Yeah, he really cares for her. All this time, I had thought otherwise. I though he was self-conceited for causing my mother so much pain and not even making up for it. But now I know the truth, he doesn't mean it. He tries his best, just sometimes, that isn't enough," I explain.

Naruto looks at me with a weird expression. "Are you sure your nine-years-old?" he questions.

"Isn't that what I said," I tell him back.

"Well, you have the wisdom of someone twice your age. I'm sure, if your father knew such a thing, he'd be proud," he states.

I smirk. "Thanks."

"No problem, hey you hungry cause I know of a great place," he changes the mood all of sudden.

"Really? And where is that?" I ask.

"My place. No one can cook better than my Hinata-chan," the Hokage proclaims proudly and I can't help but chuckle at this. He says he was best friends with my father, yet they are complete opposites. I knew one thing though; this place was a lot better than Sound.

* * *

_It took me forever to update, and I'm sorry for that people! Happy soon-to-be Valentine's Day!_

_Please review!_

_sasuke fanatic1_


	8. Unanswered Questions

Life of a Young Shinobi 

We stop at a building next to what I suppose is the Kage's office. Naruto bursts the door open. "Hinata-chan, I'm back!" the loud man announces as he walks into his home. I stand at the doorway, gazing in. I suddenly feel unwelcome here, with these people who seem so carefree, unlike my life.

The timid woman with the white eyes walks into the room, a stirrer in hand. "N-Naruto-kun, just in time, dinner's almost ready," she states.

Naruto grins. "I hope you don't mind I brought a guest," he turns to me, "Come on in, don't be shy."

I cautiously walk in. I look at the pictures on the walls as Naruto talks to his wife, Hinata, was that her name? I see a family photo, with the boy from earlier and his father grinning with their teeth shining, and the wife with a small smile, content with her position, Naruto's arm around her shoulder. His hand was placed on his son's blonde locks affectionately.

My family has no group photos. Sure, Kaasan takes a lot of us after or during certain acts, but never with all seven of us, since Tousan isn't around. Yes, my family is dysfunctional, it truly is. I don't even know what it means to be a real family. To go out on family outings, or even just talk and laugh together, it is surreal to me. My mother has tried to make our lives as normal as possible, but it can't be that way, because none of us are normal.

"Is that okay with you?" Naruto's sudden voice lurks me out of my thoughts.

I turn around and blink sheepishly.

Naruto chuckles. "Did you hear to a word I said?" he questions with a grin. He grins _way_ too much; it's kind of scary.

I shake my head and feel heat rise to my cheeks. "Gomen," I mutter.

The blonde just replies with, "Don't worry about it. I was just asking if you wanted ramen, it's my favorite."

"I don't care," I state as my eyes fall to the ground.

Hinata nods timidly and walks to the kitchen, leaving Naruto and myself in the room.

"Can I ask you something?" Naruto suddenly questions me in a soft tone.

I look up at him and nod.

"What…what exactly does your father do on those missions you've told me about?" the Hokage questions hesitantly.

I think for a moment. "To tell you the truth, I don't really know myself. He'd never talk about it around me or any of my siblings," I replied honestly, my eyes shadowed by my bangs.

"Oh. I see," Naruto says, his voice dropping in tone.

"But I do know one thing," I look up again as I say this.

Naruto raises an eyebrow. "And what is that?"

"Tousan, he works for Orochimaru. That's who I've always been told was the leader of Oto, but you have said he was dead, correct?" I continue.

"That is right. He was killed almost nine years ago by my hands. It took us forever to find him, but we did eventually, in his lair," Naruto implies reminiscing.

A thought struck me. "Did you not see either of my parents?" I ask.

Naruto's face falls. He shakes his head. "I looked everywhere in that place, but I couldn't find them anywhere," he replies, then on an attempt to lighten the mood he adds, "I would've spotted Sakura-chan a mile away if they had been there, with her complex hair color."

"Which I thank Kami I don't have," I say. It's true, I would've committed suicide years ago if I had such a curse as pink hair.

Naruto laughs. "Now that'd be interesting to see," he states. Then his face turns serious again. "If you don't mind, can I ask you another question? I'm sorry it's just, I need to know."

"I understand. Go ahead," I tell him.

"Does anyone know that you're here?" Naruto asks glancing at the window.

"No. I told my mother I was going on a mission," I answer. "She's probably found out that I've lied by now."

Naruto glances at me. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, once I don't show up for training tomorrow with Tayuya-sensei she'll come over to my house, asking where I was. Then, Kaasan will find out there really was no mission. Either that or she's frantically looking for Sakuke, because Kaasan would have caught on that quick. I didn't plan for her to find out, but I wasn't exactly intending on staying here this long nor did I figure Sakuke was going to follow me," I explain. "I don't think she'll look here though, because she doesn't know I have the knowledge that this place even exists."

Naruto scratches his head. "That is a problem," he says, "maybe…."

Before he can finish his sentence Hinata announces that dinner is ready.

Naruto whoops and runs to the kitchen.

I sweatdrop. I'm never going to understand this guy.

* * *

After dinner, I take a walk around Konoha, claiming I needed some fresh air, which I did. Naruto was hesitant to let me go at first, but he eventually let me. I sit on a rock in the forest. I had always had wanted to know the unsolved mystery of my parents' past, yet here I am, in the place where they grew up, yet everything is still so unclear to me. 

My mother left here because she was blindly in love with Tousan, but why'd he leave in the first place? Why did Kaasan have parents, yet Tousan had none at all? What happened to them? If Orochimaru was dead, why did we still refer to him as master? If Tousan had no one to serve under, why wasn't he home?

Why didn't my parents come back if he was dead? Why'd they keep it a secret?

I ran a hand through my hair uneasily. It was all so confusing. Too confusing for me to figure out on my own. I swirl a kunai in my hand. These were one of the times I wish my family wasn't one of ninjas. If we weren't, we could have a normal life. We'd be able to do normal things…we, a voice brought me out of my reverie.

"Seiko?" The voice was soft, and familiar. My blood ran cold. Too familiar. Oh Kami, this is not good, not good at all.

I look up at the figure in front of me, her eyes full of tears.

"K-Kaasan?" I sputter. Kuso, this is not my day.

* * *

_This took me forever, and for that I deeply apologize! I'm so sorry! Please forgive me!_ _Until next time, remember to review_

_sasuke fanatic1_


	9. Explanations at Long Last

**The Life of a Young Shinobi**

I hadn't been expecting Kaasan to find me so quick. Yet, here she was. What would she do? Would she make me leave this place and never speak of it again? Would she be upset with me that I lied to her? The next thing I know, I feel two warm arms wrap around me tightly, and I feel something wet fall onto my hair.

"Seiko, I was so worried about you," my mother mumbles as hollow tears fell from her face as she pulls back and looks at me. She wipes her tears with the back of her hand, and her face becomes one of worry. "Is Sakuke here to? Do you know where she is?"

"H-Hai, Kaasan, I know where she is, no need to worry," I reassure her. Does she not know where we are? Or was she not paying any attention?

Kaasan sighs in relief and the rest of her tears that fell down her face are wiped away. "Thank Kami, come, take me to her," she orders as she stands on her feet once more.

Well, I think to myself, if she doesn't know already she's soon going to find out.

"She's with this kind woman, her name was Ino, if I remember correctly," my mother had frozen as I mentioned the name.

She stopped walking. "Ino you say? Seiko-kun, w-where are we?" she asks; though I'm sure she knows the answer already.

"A village called Konoha, Kaasan," I answer then add, "You should know that."

Kaasan looks like she's about to cry. My stomach sinks, it's my fault. If only I hadn't let curiosity get the better of me. "Whom else have you met?" is all she says as she glances at me.

"A lot of people. Naruto, Shikamaru, Neji, Hinata, TenTen, Kakashi, Lee, Shino, and many others," I respond, "They all told me the story. Well, at least of what they know."

Kaasan looks at her feet as if she's being scolded for a wrongdoing. "I see. Seiko-kun, why did you come? I know there's no mission. Tayuya-san came to me asking why you hadn't shown up for training, and it all clicked together. At the time, I had been frantically looking for Sakuke-chan, but then I knew she had followed you," she explains to me.

"I came because on my previous mission I was captured by Shikamaru," I started, "He had taken me here, because I look like Tousan." Kaasan then looks at me as I continue, "And when I learned they knew who Tousan was, I couldn't help but wonder how. How they could know him when they were from an enemy village," I take a deep breath, "So I came up with a lie in order to travel back here and find out. They told me that Tousan and you had grown up here, until Tousan left and you later took off after him." This time it's my turn to question her. "Why did Tousan leave here in the first place, Kaasan? This place seems pretty nice. Is it because of this Orochimaru guy? Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that he has no family?" All these questions just splutter out of my mouth before I can stop them, "What happened to them, Kaasan? How'd they all die?"

Kaasan frowns then lets out a sigh. "I was hoping I'd have a few years before this was brought up. But I guess it can be dodged no longer, eh Seiko-kun?"

I remain silent, waiting for her to begin.

"You see, Seiko-kun," she begins, "Where should I start? Your Tousan left to gain power. Power for his revenge. His revenge for his family, who were all killed by his older brother."

My eyes widen in shock. No wonder.

"After that happened, your father shut himself off from everybody, focusing on gaining power to avenger his lost family. And the opportunity to gain power arose when Orochimaru offered him it," she continues. "By this time, we, Naruto, your father, and I, had grown close after becoming a team. Nevertheless, he let go of all those bonds. Bonds made him weak, so he claimed. He left the village. I had tried to stop him, but I wasn't able to do so. Even Naruto fought it out with him, trying to bring him back here, where he belonged. Not even Naruto could stop him, and Naruto was his best friend. So, he went to the Sound village like Orochimaru wanted him to. Orochimaru, you see, wanted to take over your father's body, so he could gain the Sharingan, a powerful Uchiha clan bloodline that allows you to copy jutsu the instant you see them, and to see their flaws. Orochimaru's goal was to learn all jutsu, so this would help him immensely."

I interrupt. "But he didn't take over Tousan's body."

"No, he didn't. Orochimaru can only trade bodies every three years, so he had to wait until your father was fifteen before trying. But your father refused, his revenge still wasn't complete, because not even Orochimaru had the power he needed to take kill his brother. So, they agreed Orochimaru wouldn't take over his body until Sasuke-kun had completed his goal," Kaasan explains thoroughly.

"Let me guess, is this when you came into the picture?" I question.

Kaasan smiles softly. "Hai, this is where I came in. It had been four years since your father had betrayed Konoha, yet I still loved him, like I had back when we were teammates. I knew it was unlikely that he would come back," she pauses for a second, "So I took matters into my own hands. I turned my back on my village, my home, and my family, to pursue him. As you can figure, I found him. And to make that long story short, we started a family, we had you, and Sasuke-kun's revenge still wasn't fulfilled. He wanted to leave the Sound Village, and obtain power elsewhere," she frowns deeply, "But Orochimaru wouldn't let him go that easily. He threatened your father, saying if he wouldn't follow his orders, he'd have you and me killed."

My eyes saddened. So Tousan could've left that godforsaken village, if it weren't for Orochimaru. Wait a second, another thought struck me "But Naruto told me Orochimaru was killed."

Kaasan nodded. "He was killed by Naruto shortly after that. But the other Oto nins threatened your father the same way Orochimaru did. There were too many of them, your father was outnumbered. He had to stay, Seiko-kun. And that's what leads us to where we are today. Your father not being able to leave the Sound Village, unless on a mission, his revenge unfulfilled to this day," she finished and that was it, the point where we were already. Everything now makes so much sense.

"I should have told you, Seiko," Kaasan spoke, "but I was afraid to, and for that, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry to Kaasan," I say, "I shouldn't have come here. And I shouldn't have misjudged Tousan like I did."

Kaasan raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" she asks.

"I always thought Tousan was a terrible father, because he was never around, and I didn't think he ever wanted to be," I answer her.

Kaasan's face saddens. "You should never feel that way. Your father cares for you, for all of us. He just can't be around," she states.

I nod. "I know that now."

We stay silent for a few moments.

Kaasan is the first to break it. "Seiko-kun, could you please go get your sister?" she questions and I'm about to ask why she doesn't come too, but then she adds, "I don't think I'm welcomed here anymore."

"Nonsense, Sakura-chan, you're always more than welcomed here, you should know that," came a new voice. That of Naruto's.

Kaasan's eyes widened in diameter as we both turn to the side, and see all of those that I have just met standing there, Naruto was in front of all of them, a huge grin on his face.

* * *

_Yes, chapter nine is out! I know it's kind of short, but I wanted to leave it at a cliffhanger. Sorry it's been awhile, I just had my exams. But, luckily, now it's summer! I'd say this story only has about five to six chapters left, and then it's over! But I may make a prequel, SasuSaku based of course, on this if requested. Later, and remember, that blue button that says 'Go' is your friend._

_**sasuke fanatic1**_


	10. Attacked

**The Life of a Young Shinobi**

"Naruto," my mother breathes heavily.

"Sakura, you haven't changed a bit," Ino says with a large smile, one that everyone has one their face.

Kaasan turns to the blonde, her green orbs full of tears. "Ino." I blink in surprise as my mother takes a step back, away from them, as if she just wants to disappear.

"I think you're wrong about that. Sakura-san's beauty has increased for sure," Lee states, his teeth shining.

"What's the matter, Sakura?" Kakashi asks, "Not happy to see us?"

Kaasan just keeps shaking her head in disbelief, her hand coming to her mouth to stop the sobs.

Naruto's blue eyes soften. "Sakura-chan, we heard everything. There's no need to be afraid of us," he utters with a small smile. "We understand."

I see my mother is still shaking, so I speak to her. "Kaasan," she looks at me, "They're still you're friends, they never have stopped being."

My mother takes a deep breath and removes her hand from her mouth. "You guys aren't angry?"

Naruto shakes his head. "You just explained everything, how could we be mad? I'm just upset you haven't at least stopped by to say hi."

My mother smiles. "It wasn't as simple as that you know," she says. "Hokage now I assume?"

Naruto grins. "You got that right, the best ever," he states proudly.

Kaasan wipes the tears from her eyes. "I bet."

Naruto pulls Hinata to his side. "And this is the one that rules my heart."

The woman blushes. "Naruto-kun."

"You finally figured that one out," Kaasan says with a small laugh. She looks at the others. "I missed you guys."

"Same here, Sakura-chan," Hinata smiles.

"I missed you too, Kaasan," Sakuke states, appearing from behind the crowd. Kaasan kneels as Sakuke crawls into her arms.

"Sakuke-chan," Kaasan breathes before letting the girl go.

"Kaasan," Sakuke says, her eyes gleaming, "I like it here, can we stay?" She pulls off a pout. "Please?"

Kaasan shakes her head. "No, we can't, we have to go back home," she answers.

I raise an eyebrow. "You call that place home?" I scoff, crossing my arms.

Kaasan looks down at me. "I told you why we must stay, Seiko-kun."

"Sakura-chan, we could help you know," we all glance at Naruto as he speaks. "We'd be more than willing to help you get out of there, we mean."

Kaasan smiles gently and closes her eyes. "Thanks for the offer, Naruto. But, I can't," she replies. "We must stay in Sound."

Naruto's eyes sadden. "Demo…"

"I said no," Kaasan repeats. She wipes her eyes. "Please don't make this harder than it already is. Let's go, kids." She grabs Sakuke's hand and gestures for me to follow her.

I look at Naruto. He nods. "At least stay a little longer, Sakura-chan," he suggests.

Kaasan bites her lip. "I can't. I must get home to my other children, I have a sitter watching them right now, let's go Seiko-kun," she denies the offer.

I bow my head in defeat, and start to walk alongside her. I look back at all the sad faces. I took another step, then I hear something in the bushes.

The others must have noticed too, they grabbed kunais from their holsters. Kaasan stops in her tracks too, pushing Sakuke to hide behind her. Then, a nin stands up from the bushes, and another beside him. I look around as we were cornered by ninjas. We were surrounded.

Naruto growls, placing a protective arm in front of his wife. "What do you all want?"

"Destruction of Konoha, what else would it be, Naruto-kun?" one questions, pulling down his hood to reveal gray hair and glasses. I narrow my eyes to look at the headbands. Sound ninjas.

"Kabuto," Naruto spits.

"Disperse," This 'Kabuto' orders, the nins jumping out through the forest, heading into Konoha.

"After them," Naruto orders the others, who nod in response. They run after the ninjas.

Naruto looks at the three of us. "Sakura-chan, get out of here," he says.

Kaasan nods and jumps into the trees, Sakuke in her hold. I follow after her, but not before watching Naruto charge Kabuto, their kunai clashing.

I turn my head toward my mother. "What are we going to do?" I question.

"This isn't our fight, Seiko-kun," Kaasan explains. "We need to get out of here, and fast. If we get caught, it will be bad news."

"So, we're just going to run away," I say, stopping in my tracks. Kaasan does also, looking back at me. I shake my head. "You go on, ahead, Kaasan. But I have to do something. You forget, I'm a ninja. I can't just run away and hide."

Kaasan shakes her head. "You're a Sound ninja, Seiko-kun. You can't fight against them. It'd be betrayal," she states, stepping toward me on the branch.

I look down at the bark. "My loyalty never was with Sound," I proclaim. "You find a safe place to hide, but I'm not going with you."

"I won't let you go fight," Kaasan says. "I won't let you get hurt."

"I won't get hurt," I say stubbornly. "I don't even know if I will fight, but I have to help somehow." I leave her there without another word. My mother is tactical, she'll find a good place for her and Sakuke to take cover.

Okay, now where should I go? I decide to see how Naruto was holding up. Not wanting to interfere, I kneel behind a bush, peeking out. I come just in time to see Naruto holding a blue ball of Chakura, placing it through the man. The man fell the ground, there was no way he could be alive after that hit. I walk out of the bushes, and Naruto looks at me through ragged breaths.

"Are you okay?" I ask him, the blonde nodding in response.

He wipes the sweat off his face. "I've been waiting a long time to kill that guy."

I walk over to the dead body. "What are they up to?"

Naruto stands beside me. "I have no idea. Orochimaru's ambition was to destroy Konoha, but Orochimaru is dead, there's no reason for this."

An idea flows through my head. "Naruto-san, there's no way for someone to come back to life, is there?"

Naruto shook his head, then scratched his head. "Actually, Orochimaru once said he could bring the dead back to life somehow."

"Do you think he taught it to someone?" I ask.

"I don't know, but that could be the case," Naruto answers. "I just hope it isn't. We'd be in big trouble if they brought that snake back to life."

* * *

Hm, is Orochimaru going to come back to life? What could Sound be planning?

Please review.

_sasuke fanatic1_


	11. Contemplating

**The Life of a Young Shinobi**

I nod at his statement. Though I've never met this Orochimaru character, and never wish to in my life, he doesn't sound like good news. From what I've heard from Sound's inhabitants, they made their 'leader' seem like some sort of God. I snort. Yeah right, seems more like a monster to me. Threatening people's loved ones, prying into their lives to get what he wanted. What kind of 'God' was that? Sounds more like the devil to me.

And the village of Oto has been in ruins for years, struggling to keep itself on the map. Bringing their leader back to life would be like giving candy to a child. And just like that child, they'd do anything to get what they want. What Konoha had to do with that is still beyond me, however, but I'm sure it's part of some plot. One that Naruto would make sure failed. Naruto's voice pulls me out of my thoughts.  
"We should search for more enemy ninja. I sent Hinata-chan to secure the villagers in hiding, so at least they'll be safe," he states.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I question. I know I'm just a child, and adults feel that I don't belong on the battlefield. As my mother stated, this isn't my fight to win. But if there was anything I could do to margin the victory to Konoha even a bit, I would.

Naruto shakes his head. "No, you should hide until the fighting's over. There is no need to drag you into this," he answers.

"Demo..." I trail off. What was a reason for me to stay in the range of fire? I suppose it's my pride getting to me again, I hate being underestimated just because I'm a kid.

"No 'buts' about it. You should make sure your mother stays safe, as well as your sister," the man explains, "They need you to protect them right now."

My mother was fully capable of taking care of herself, I had wanted to argue. Their safety is my first priority, but helping this situation resolve secures that a bit, doesn't it.

"Are you sure, Naruto-san?" I question.

He nods as an answer. "Sakura-chan would have my head if anything befell you. It's been awhile since I've seen her, but I know that protective instinct she's always had will never fade. She worries over the tiniest things. But I suppose you know that."

Do I ever, I think to myself. My mother would have wrinkles before she reached thirty by all the worrying she seems to do.

Sighing in defeat, I trudged tree to tree, heading in the direction in which I had left my mother and sister.

This all was happening so fast. It seems just like yesterday that this whole thing was a mystery to me. Wait, it was just yesterday wasn't it? It seems incomprehensible to me that this knowledge of my parent's roots had once been unknown. They had seemed so out of reach before, but now I had it all in my grasp.

Hadn't it been but a mere few days ago that I had become a Chuunin in a village that I despised? In a village where you could trust no one, not even your next door neighbor. The place that needed a lot of work to be thriving again.

And it had been just as long as that when I had hated my father, who now had my deepest respect. Everything had been cleared up in less than 100 hours. It seemed surreal.

I looked around in search for relatives, but they were not in sight. I blink in confusion. It shouldn't be this hard to find two pink-haired females in the middle of a forest. They should stick out like needles in a haystack. I stop in my steps as I feel someone approaching rapidly. I jump to the ground in haste. Grabbing my kunai, my obsidian eyes glance in all directions. Not to the right, left. My head whips up. Not above, my eyes widen in diameter as I jump up. Beneath, I realize. Just in time, the nin comes from underground.

A sound ninja, I took note. He squints at me. "What's a kid like you doing out here?"

I frown deeply as I am again underestimated. "I should be the one asking what you are doing here?"

He must notice my headband. "Are you taking a part in this? I knew we were in need of subordinates, but this is ridiculous."

I give him a head-on glare, then swallow my pride. I know now is not the time to let my ego get in the way. I shake my head. "I am not aware of the happenings. I'm afraid I've been denied details. Would you like to inform me of them?"

The ninja narrows his eyes. "I don't think so, kid. You have no business being here. This isn't playtime."

I roll my eyes. "Give me a break," I tell him. "I'm no amateur."

He takes a good look at me. "You look a lot like Sasuke-sama. Relation perhaps? I heard he had about a dozen kids."

I almost choke when he says 'Sasuke-sama'. And it's a half-dozen, I want to correct him, but that is the least of my troubles. "I'm his firstborn. I happen to be a Chuunin. My father, does he know what's going on?"

The man scoffs. "Know of it? Kid, he's leading this party," he answers and my body goes numb.

Tousan? If he's the leader of this, he must be close by? But, surely he wouldn't. This is his home, where he grew up. That had to mean something to him.

_'The other Oto nins threatened your father the same way Orochimaru did'_

My mother's words come back to me. This must be another threat against us, it's the only way to explain this.

"Do you by chance know where my father was headed?" I ask the ninja with a raise of the eyebrow.

"Look, I don't have time to talk. Your father was ordered to take care of the Hokage, I'm sure he'll follow through." The ninja left then, leaving me stunned.

Take care of the Hokage, I know what that means. But Tousan wouldn't, he couldn't do something like that.

'_Not even Naruto could stop him, and Naruto was his best friend.'_

No, Tousan wouldn't go as far as to kill Naruto.

'_He'd have you and me killed.'_

I shake my head as I frantically start running. No, Tousan would do anything to keep us safe, even if that meant killing someone that used to be important to him, I understand that much now.

But I can't let him go through with it. There must be another answer. There's always more than one way to get to the solution, and that has to be true in this case.

My eyes move to-and-fro as I scope the area as I pass by. I won't allow myself to not stop this all from happening. My father wasn't a cold-blooded killer; he didn't want to kill those that had done nothing wrong. Let alone someone he used to call his best friend. Or would he? There's still so much I need to learn.

Kuso, where are they? They have to be around here somewhere. Come on, I have to find them, before it's too late.

"Naruto, it's been awhile."

I freeze in mid-step and turn my head in the direction of the voice. I'd know it anywhere, even if I'd only heard it a handful of times. "Tousan."

* * *

_**Muwahaha. Yes, I am evil.. I wanted to leave you hanging. I don't do it a lot, so I decided this was a good opportunity. You guys are just going to have to wait for Sasuke-kun. XD Hm, do you think Sasuke will follow through or will Seiko intervene? Guess you'll have to wait till next time. Mou, I feel so evil. I plan for a faster update, but my birthday is coming in two days and school starts up again shortly after that so I can't make any promises. Can you believe this story should have only about five chapters left? (sniffs) Hope you enjoyed it despite it's shortness. I'm trying to work on that.**_

_sasuke fanatic1_


	12. Encounter

**_The Life of a Young Shinobi_**

I jump into the bushes quickly and use my hands to make an opening in order to see.

I see my father and Naruto standing on opposite sides, Naruto's eyes opened in shock.

He shakes it off and answers, "It has been, hasn't it?" His voice starts off with humor, his tone soon turning serious, "What are you doing here, Sasuke?"

My father stares at him. "I thought that would be quite obvious to you."

Naruto grabs a kunai, his hand shaking. "I don't want to hurt you, Sasuke."

Tousan smirks. "Like you could," he pauses, as if for effect, and his smirk widens, "Idiot."

"You don't need to do this, Sasuke," Naruto says, and I can tell he doesn't wish to battle with my father, but if he must, he would do it.

Tousan frowns. "You don't know what I _need _to do. You don't know me, as you may believe." As he says this, my father gets into a fighting position.

At this, I begin to worry, my palms sweating.

Naruto does not hesitate to get into his own stance.

I knew this was wrong. If they were as good of friends as Naruto said they were, they wouldn't fight one another.

But…

Something tells me these two do things they must, no matter what their feelings on the matter are.

Tousan wishes to protect his family the only way he knows how.

Naruto has a duty as Hokage to protect Konoha, putting his safety and emotions aside.

My hands fall from the bush as I run them through my hair, a nervous reflex I had developed over the years.

I wanted to help, but how could I? I was vaguely aware of the situation at hand.

I hear hoarse shouts and fists colliding. Hugging my knees, I cover my ears as if I was a frightened child. Though I had no close friends of my own, I could somehow comprehend the situation. I remember from back in my days at the Academy that all ninjas are tools that they are to put their missions first and their emotions are supposed to take a backseat. I myself found it a pretty stupid rule. One of the many reasons I'm glad to not be in the Academy anymore.

I lift my head. What was I doing, cowering behind a bush? I am a Chuunin. Not only that, I'm the son of Uchiha Sasuke.

"Rasengan!"

"So, we're going to play that game again are we? Chidori!"

I hear the cackling of chakra, none like I have ever heard before.

This is the moment in which I decide my course of action.

Now, it may not have been the brightest idea I had had in the nine years of my life, but I had never really thought things through before acting. I must get it from my mother.

"Tousan! Naruto-san!" I shout as I reveal myself.

Both adults are standing, chakra in their hands. They jerk their heads at the sound of my voice.

My father's eyes widen, as expected. I am not even supposed to know this place exists. He seems to mouth a word I'm not supposed to hear at my age at the sight of me. He hesitates before relinquishing his attack, as Naruto had already done.

"Seiko," Naruto is the first to speak.

My father turns his head to the blonde, inquiring the fact it shocked him that Naruto knew who I was.

I gulp, not sure what to say. Yes, I suppose I should have thought my plan through. My mother always said to follow my heart, so I guess now would be a good time to act upon that advice.

"You two shouldn't be fighting." Lame, I know. But I couldn't think of anything else, I wasn't a person that had a knack at using the right words.

"I mean, what will it prove, what will it help? Fighting causes problems, don't you want to fix them instead?" Okay, it's official, I need to work on my conversation skills.

My father stands straight and looks at me sternly. "Seiko, you have no business being here," he seems to wish to maintain his 'cool'.

"Aren't you even going to ask me how I got here?" I question.

"I do not need the details," Tousan replies to me.

"You know…Kaasan and Sakuke are here as well," if he knew their lives were in danger, maybe, just maybe he would stop this nonsense. "Kaasan wouldn't like you fighting Naruto-san, now would she?"

Before Tousan can answer, a nin runs through the bushes. "Sasuke-sama, we require your assistance," he states, bowing slightly.

Tousan takes a glance at Naruto and myself, before nodding at the nin. "Alright." He walks toward the nin. The two jump off into the trees and all I can do is stare as they go. "Tousan."

Naruto places a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry about it too much. Just the fact that he didn't slaughter me on the spot is a good sign." He pats me shoulder. "Listen, I need to get going. Promise me you'll find a hiding spot until this all boils over."

I look at him and nod.

He himself departs, not able to see me crossing me fingers behind my back. There was no way I was going to miss out on this. This was the battle of the century, and I was going to partake in it any way I could.

* * *

_There's nothing I can do to make up for leaving my readers in the dust for these last months. School sprang up on me, and a case of writer's block is still heavy on my shoulders. This is all I could squeeze out of me, so I am sorry for the lack of it and the poor quality. The only reason I was able to make this was because recently I was pmed and told that I should get working on this. It inspired me to write, knowing someone was still waiting for me. So in honor of her I dedicate this chapter to **kattylin. **For liking this story so much she emailed me to tell me to update it. Thanks for the inspiration. I cannot make any promises on when the next chapter will be up, or when I will update my other stories. As mentioned, I have one of the worst cases of writer's block and no inspiration has hit me yet. Happy holidays everyone._

_sasuke fanatic1_


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